Recovering alcohol from fermented liquids and apparatus therefor



W. G. 'TOPL|S.' RECOVERING ALCOHOL FROM FERMENTED LIQUIDS ANDAPPARATUS THEREFOR. AFPLICATION FILED JULY 27. l9l7.

,364, 1 60. Patented Jan. 4, 192 1.

INVm/Toq ArT CR. (cPglS my Hi6 wrmwly PATENT" OFFICE.

UNITED STATES- WILLIAM G. ToPLis, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REGOVERING ALCOHOL FROM FERMENTED LIQUIDS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed July 27, 1917. ,Serial No. 183,084.

T 0 all w how it may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM Gr. Torus, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Recovering Alcohol from Fermented Liquids and Apparatus T herefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in method of and apparatus for the extraction of alcohol from fermented liquids, .and has as its objects the effective utilization of the heat from a' given amount of fuel, the shortening of the time and lessening of the care required in carrying on the process and the recovery of all of the alcohol contained in a given quantity of fermented liquid. The invention also comprises apparatus whereby such procedure may be carried out.

The methods at present in use for manufacturing alcohol from fermented liquids are objectionable in that unless conducted 'slowly and with extreme care they are waste- This objection I overhereinafter set forth, to the accompanying v the tower 1 by means of a pipe 3 through itower through a pipe which it has been conveyed from the fermenters. (Hereinafter, for convenience, shall refer to this fermented liquid as beer). After entering the top of the tower 1 the beer, which is cold, flows downwardly over a series of baflie plates 4 in the tower and is acted upon by certain hot gases traveling upwardly through the tower in a manner to be hereinafter described.

During the downward travel through the tower 1 the beer becomes warm, and the warm beer escapes from the bottom of the 5.'the lower end of which is in communication with a coil 6 contained within a vessel 7 in which it is further heated, as herenafter set forth.

After leaving the coil 6 the beer passesthrough a pipe 8 which forms a grate 9 in a furnace 10. The beer leaves the grate 9 at a high temperature owingte the fact that it is heated under hydrostatic pressure due to the height of the pipe 5 which supplies the coil 6 and of the pipe 11 which receives the discharge from the grate 9. Through the pipe 11 the highly heated beer vflows to the upper portion of a distillation tower 12, in which it is released from pressure and through which it flows downwardly over baflie plates similar to those of the tower 1. During its downward flow through the distillation tower 12 the greater portion of the alcohol contained in the beer is vaporized by the heat of the beer and escapes upwardly through an outlet pipe13 which conveys it to a suitable rectifying apparatus.

The temperature of the beer which escapes from the bottom of the distillation tower 12 is below the vaporizing point of the alcohol, and the beer still contains a small percentage of alcohol, which percentage however,-the beer escaplng from the bottom of the distillation tower 12 .is conveyed through a pipe 13 to the top of a tower '14, which is in construction similar to the tower 1. As the cooled beer travels" downwardly over baflie plates 15 in the tower 14 it is acted upon by upwardly traveling products of combustion from the furnace 10 through which forced down draft is maintained.

The highly heated products of combustion from the furnace 10 enter the bottom ofthe tower I L-through a pipe 16 and as they travel upwardly through the tower the beer traveling downwardly therethrough is caused to boil violently and the slight percentage of alcohol-still in the beer is vaporized and escapes with the products of comis normally wasted, In my apparatus,

bustion from the top of the tower 14 through a pipe 17.

The upper end of the pipe 17 communicates with the bottom of the tower 1, and the products of combustion, together with the alcohol vapor carried thereby, enter the tower 1, flow upwardly therethrough, and

are acted upon by the descending stream of cool beer which condenses and absorbs the alcohol vapor and becomes enrichedthereby. The-waste gases then escape from the tower 1 through a pipe 18 which communicates with a suitable stack.

' The boiling waste beer from which the last trace of alcohol has been extracted leaves the tower 14 through a pipe 19 which ing waste fills this vessel and serves to heat the beer passing through the coil 6, the

waste escaping from the boiler 7 through a pipe 20 which communicates with the sewer or with suitable utilization apparatus. I

Neither in the liquid waste escaping from the apparatus through the pipe 20 nor in the gaseous waste escaping through the pipe 18 does any alcohol' or alcohol vapor remain, all of the alcohol which was in the cold beer when. it entered the tower 1 having been removed during the treatment of the beer in accordance with this process.

As the pipe 11, through which the beer passes from the grate 9 to the distillation tower 12, is causedto pass through the bottom of the tower 14 the. beer passing through said pipe 11 will 'be acted upon by the heat of the products of combustion passing through said tower, and the beer will be heated to a higher degree when it enters the distillation tower 12 than if the pipe 11' did not pass-through the tower 14.

Ordinarily the beer passing through the tower 1 is heated by contact with live steam,

and the water of condensation from the latter dilutes the beer and renders the distillation process lessefi'ective.

By subjecting the beer in the tower 1 directly to the action of the products of combustion from the furnace 10, such dilution is prevented and the beer enters the distillation tower 12 not only at full strength but enriched by the alcohol absorbed from said products of combustion.

The process can also be conducted more rapidly than usual, and without the care usually required, hence the percentage of alcohol produced during a given time is also increased, as compared with the usual methods.

The temperature of the liquid in the pipes 5 and 13 and in the vessel 7 should be below the vaporizing point.

I claim:

1. The within described improvement in the process of extracting alcohol from fermented liquid, said improvement consisting in subjecting to a secondary distillation the waste liquid from a primary distillation apparatus and then adding the alcohol from said secondary distillation to the initial supply of fermented liquidbefore the latter enters the primary distillation apparatus.

2. The within described improvement in the process of extracting alcohol from fermented liquid, said improvement consistin 1n subjecting to a secondary distillation the waste'liquid from a primary distillation apparatus, and in then causing the alcohol vapor from said secondary distillation to be condensed and absorbed by the initial supply of fermented liquid before the latter enters the primary distillation apparatus.

therefrom to 3. The within described improvement jin' the process of extracting alcohol fromtferimented liquid, said improvement"conslst ngz in first subjecting the waste f 'O l the" primary distillation apparatustoth'e action of a heated gas which v'aporizes the alcohol contained in said waste liquid," and in then subjecting said heated gas and alcohol vapor to the action-of the initial supply of fermented liquid before the latter reaches the primary distillation apparatus. i

4. In an apparatus for recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, thecoinbination of a distilling apparatus, primary and secondary heating. towers, 'means for s'upplylng'ffermented liquid to said primary tower, means for conveying said'liquid to said distilling apparatus, means for conveying the waste liquid from said distilling apparatus to said secondaryheating tower wherein such alcohol as remains in said waste liquid is removed, and means for conveying such removed alcohol from said secondary heating tower to said primary heating'tower wherein said alcohol is added to the initial supply of fermented liquid.

5. In-an apparatus for recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, the combination of a distilling apparatus, primary and secondary heating towers, means for supplying fermented liquid to said primary tower, means for conveying said liquid to said distilling apparatus, means for conveying the waste liquidfrom said distilling apparatus to said secondary heating tower wherein such alcohol as remains in said waste liquid is removed, a furnace, means forconveying products of combustion from said furnace to said secondary heating tower, and means for conveying said products of combustion and the alcohol vapor therein contained, to the primary heating tower.

6. In an apparatus for recovery of alcohol fromfermented liquid, the combination of a heating tower for said liquid, a furnace for supplying products of combustion to said tower, a vessel for receiving the waste liquid from said tower, and a liquid conveying pipe passing through said vessel. and then through the furnace.

7. In an apparatus for recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, the combination of a heating tower for said liquid, a furnace for supplying products of combustion to said tower, a vessel for receiving the waste liquid.

from said tower, and a liquid conveying pipe passing through said vessel, then through said furnace and then through the tower.

8. In an apparatus for the recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, the combination of primary andsecondary heating towers, a furnace for heating the same, a distillation tower, means for conveying the waste a vessel for'receiving the waste from said said secondary heating tower,

plpe receiving its supply from said primary heating tower and serving tos'uppl ythe fer-' ment ed liquidto the distillation .tower.

9. In'an apparatusfor the recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, the combination of primary and secondary heating towers, a furnace for heating the same, a' distillation tower, means'forconveying the waste therefrom to said a vessel for receivingthe waste fromsaid-sec- 'ondary heating tower, and a liquid conveying" pipe passing through said'vessel, then through the supply from said primary heating tower and serving to supplythe fermented liquid to the distillation tower; 1

secondary heating tower,

' 1ts supply from said primary heating tower .and serving to supply the fermented liquid.

furnace, said pipe receiving its 10. In an'apparatus for the recovery of alcohol from fermented liquid, the combinat1on of primary and secondary heating tow- 'ers, afurnace for heating the same, a'dis til- 'latlontower, means for conveymg the waste therefrom to said secondary heating tower, a

vessel for receiving the waste from said secondary heating tower, and a liquid convey- 111g 'pipe'passin'g through Silld vessel, then through thej.fi u'nace,and then through the.

secondary heating tower, said pipe receiving to the distillation tower.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my nameto this specification.

WILLIAM ekrornrs. 

